Dragonball: Rebirth
by XZTopazZX
Summary: 500 years ago, powerful warriors waged battle across the Earth and the stars. The cause of the battles was often the mystical Dragonballs. At the end of this era, a dark cloud loomed over the entire universe, threatening to destroy it. The heroes managed
1. Chapter 1

Dragonball: Rebirth

Chapter 1: The World Tournament Begins

Our story begins in Senyo City, the largest and most populated city in the world. In this city you could find whatever you're looking for, for the right price anyway. Today people from all over the world are gathering here, for today is the beginning of the Tenkaichi Budokai, or World Tournament. Fighters from around the globe will participate in an attempt to win the grand prize: 100 million Zeni. But that is not the only draw of the tournament. Many have come to test their skills against the best of the best, while others have come for darker purposes.

"Not what I expected." The young man stood there with his arms folded, surveying the area. The atmosphere was more like a carnival or fair rather than the greatest martial arts tournament in the world. Vendors selling popcorn, cotton candy, T-shirts. Photo booths set up for children to take pictures with some of the more well-known fighters. "Not what I expected at all." He repeated to himself, frowning. He reached down and grabbed the satchel at his side, slung it over his shoulder, and then headed toward the registration building.

Inside there seemed to be a bit of commotion. There was a man at the counter arguing with the receptionist. Apparently she was trying to check his weapon, and he was having none of it.

"Listen to me lady, this sword does not leave my side."

"I'm sorry Mr. Madrox, but if that's the way you feel, you won't be able to participate today. There are no weapons allowed in the competition."

"Grr.....I know that. I'm not planning on_using_ it. I just don't want to leave it with you people."

_Were those....fangs? _The young man thought to himself. When the man, "Madrox", growled, he could have sworn he had seen fangs. _Weird_. Although odd, he didn't care much if the guy had fangs or not. What he did care about however was that the line was being held up, and that was cutting into his time.

"Hey buddy, you wanna hurry this up? I don't have time for you and your separation anxiety." He walked to the front of the line, coming up behind Madrox.

"Who the hell....?" Madrox turned, an angry look on his face. From this close, he could tell those definitely were fangs he had seen in Madrox's mouth. "Why don't you mind your own business, little man?" Madrox said, as he looked down at the him. Madrox, while the larger of the two, wasn't all that tall. He was about 5 foot 10 inches, with long, spiky black hair, and a slim yet defined build. His facial features were sharp, and he had long, almost pointy, ears.

The young man was a few inches shorter, with short semi-spiky black hair. He looked to be about 16 or 17 by his facial features, and his body was mostly hidden under the dark cloak he was wearing.

"This _is_ my business. You're holding me up." Then, with a smirk he added. "Although, if you plan on giving anyone here a challenge, you're probably going to need the sword."

Madrox took a step toward him. "You little shit! I should-"

The receptionist stood up. "Gentlemen please! If either of you start a fight in here, neither of you will be entering the tournament! Now Mr. Madrox, please check your weapon if you're going to enter the competition, and if not, please be on your way." Madrox turned back to the receptionist.

"Fine." He removed the sword and sheathe from his side, and placed it on the counter. Then he turned back. "Pray that I don't see you in that ring, boy." And with that he walked off. The receptionist turned to the young man.

"Thanks for the help." she said, smiling at him. He frowned.

"Whatever. Can I sign up now?" The smile faded.

"Sure...What's your name please?"

"Enzan Kiru."

_Little shit! Who does he think he is talking to me like that? I can't wait to get him in the ring, and then I-_.

"Jamie!"

"Huh?" Jamie stopped, and turned his head. A young man in a grey gi was waving him over. Jamie smiled. "Ah. Tetsuo." He made his way through the crowd over to Tetsuo. "What's up? Any luck yet?" Tetsuo shook his head, remaining silent. Jamie frowned.

"Well, they should be around here somewhere. From what we gathered, some of their operatives should be entering this tournament. Clye and Kugo should be here somewhere too." Testuo nodded, narrowing his eyes. Jamie couldn't blame him for being angry with them. He was pretty pissed himself, after the incident in that mountain lab. He shook the memory away, turning back to Tetsuo.

"Anyway, I'm not in the mood for another monologue with you, so let's see what we can find." Jamie said, looking around. Tetsuo raised a brow at him.

"Sorry. This little jerk at the registration got on my nerves. _And_ I had to check my sword at the counter. I'm itching for a fight now, and unfortunately we still have time before this thing gets under way. Let's go find Sierra." Tetsuo patted his shoulder, and then nodded.

They made their way over to where the preliminaries would be taking place. Between the spectators and participants, the place was packed. There were well over 1000 people who would be participating. Of course, only 16 would make it to the final cut, but that required a day or two of preliminary matches. Normally, as in previous tournaments, the final competitors would be determined by a strength test machine, the highest 16 making it. However, the Shuisha Corporation was running things this year, and they wanted to make sure the very best of the best would be in it. Everyone would get a chance to fight to prove themselves, to make sure only the best fighters made it to the end. Sure it would take longer, but it would be worth it for the fans.

When they arrived, Jamie took a look around, checking out the potential competition. They were a few decent looking fighters, some maybe a little impressive, by human standards anyway. _And I'm hardly human. _He thought to himself, smiling. Tetsuo looked over at him, and shook his head. Jamie looked over to him, and then sighed.

"Yeah, I know. I'm not underestimating them. I just don't think there's too much competition here to worry about." Jamie scratched his head. "You know, for a guy who barely says anything, you communicate pretty well." Tetsuo shrugged, and then looked past Jamie, over his shoulder. Jamie turned to see what he was looking at.

There was a group of guys standing in a semi-circle, around a single girl. "She's at it again." Jamie said, chuckling. He began to make his way over there. As Jamie and Tetsuo approached, they noticed a few of the guys were flexing, and striking poses, apparently trying to impress the girl.

"-bench press 400 pounds!" One of the guys said, flexing his massive arms. Another guy stepped in front of him.

"That's nothing. I can bench 500 pounds, easily!" The girl giggled, covering her mouth with one hand.

"Wow... you guys are soooo strong, hehe."

"Alright guys, go take a shower break to wash off all that testosterone." Jamie said, stepping past them. Then he turned and added, "Drop the soap, have a ball, whatever floats your boat." The men's' expressions turned to that of anger, and they began advancing on Jamie. Before they could reach him, however, the girl stepped between them, putting her hands up.

"Now now, settle down boys. Save it for the matches." She smiled, and then turned back to Jamie. "If you'll excuse me guys, I need to have a chat with my _friend_ here." A few of them men growled, cursing Jamie under their breaths, but turned to walk away. Jamie laughed, turning to her.

"No luck getting laid again eh, Sierra?" She narrowed her eyes, and he could see she clearly wasn't in the joking mood.

"So uh, find anything out?" He said, clearing his throat. She shook her head.

"Bunch of muscle bound idiots. None of them could be who we're looking for. Too stupid." Jamie laughed.

"Yeah, heh, I noticed. Anyway, Tetsuo and I haven't been able to find anything either." Sierra looked around, and then turned back to Jamie.

"Speaking of which....where is Testuo?" Jamie blinked, and then looked to his side.

"The hell..? He was here a second ago when I came over." Looking over his shoulder, Jamie frowned. "Looks like we got a little bit of trouble." Behind the two of them, the group of guys that had been talking to Sierra were standing around Tetsuo. One of them was in his face, pointing at him.

"Listen punk, you damn well better apologize for bumping into me, or we're gonna have a problem here." Tetsuo blinked, looking up at the man in front of him. Tetsuo wasn't a big guy by any means. He stood about 5' 9", and although fairly built, probably weighed only about 180 pounds. The guy standing in front of him however, towered over him at around 6' 7", and weighed at least 320 pounds.

"Hey runt, I'm talking to you!" The man pointed a finger right at Tetsuo's nose, who continued to simply stand there. "Oh, I get it, I scared you speechless didn't I, runt?" the large man said, chuckling. Tetsuo turned, and started to walk away. "Hey! Don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you!" The guy reached out after Tetsuo, grabbing his shoulder. Tetsuo narrowed his eyes.

"Don't." was all he said. The big guy laughed.

"Or what? Hahaha." He tightened his grip on Tetsuo's shoulder.

Tetsuo stepped forward suddenly, turning his body at the same time. This pulled the guy, who was still holding his shoulder, closer to him. He shot his elbow out into the guy's abdomen, who slowly released his shoulder, taking a step back.

"Ga....gah.....gah...". The guy dropped to one knee, grabbing his stomach. "Yo..you sonofa....." The other guys standing around, realizing what happened, lunged toward Tetsuo. He narrowed his eyes, and then leaped at one of the guys. He threw a right hook, catching the first guy across the jaw, sending him reeling backward. Next he shot out a kick, catching the guy behind him in the throat. Then he ducked low under a punch, and came up with an uppercut, knocking another guy backward off his feet. The last guy threw a couple of punches at him, which he easily evaded. The last punch he caught, much to the bigger guys' surprise. Squeezing tightly, he pulled the guy in, right into an elbow to the nose. Bloodied, the guy fell backward, his eyes rolling up into his head. Tetsuo lowered his hands, and then sighed, shaking his head.

A bit of a crowd had gathered around, realizing a fight was probably about to take place. Jamie growled, annoyed. He starting pushing through people, trying to get to Tetsuo before anything could happen. Unfortunately, before he could make it, one of the guys made the mistake of grabbing Tetsuo.

_Shit, I almost feel bad for this guy,_ thought Jamie, as Tetsuo nailed him hard in the stomach. By the time Jamie got up to the front of the crowd, 5 guys were sprawled out on the ground. Testuo stood in the middle of them, shaking his head. Jamie walked up to him, looking down at the beaten men.

"Idiots. Serves you all right for screwing with him." He turned to Tetsuo. "Come on, let's get out of here before anybody else gets any bright ideas." Tetsuo nodded, and the two of them walked over to where Sierra was standing. She gave a little golf clap.

"Nicely done. At least you got a little bit of a warm up, Tetsuo." She said, chuckling. He smiled back at her, nodding.

"Yeah yeah yeah. Enough fun and games. As much as they deserved it, Tetsuo caused a little bit of a spectacle. He may have gotten himself noticed by someone we didn't want knowing we were here." Jamie said, glancing around. Several of the participants, along with quite a few people, were looking over at the three of them.

"Relax Jamie," Sierra said, smiling. "Maybe it'll make it easier for us to find them." Jamie frowned."For some reason, I doubt that...". The three of them walked off to check out the rest of the tournament grounds.

After registering, Enzan had decided to find something to eat, with little luck. Everywhere there were booths selling candy, pretzels and other junk food, but what he wanted was a real meal. Finally, much to his relief, he found a cafeteria, and they were serving a buffet for all the participants in the tournament. He helped himself to a couple of platefuls of food, satisfying his hunger. Now, he decided, it was time to check out the competition. Normally it would have taken him a long time to check out all the participants, due to the large amount of people gathered, but Enzan had developed a certain skill that would make it much faster.

Through the course of his training, he had learned that everyone had inside them a certain amount of life energy, or _Ki_. An average person usually didn't generate that much, but a martial artist, who harnessed that life energy to fight, generated a whole lot more. Basically, the more powerful you were the more energy you'd be using. He had found out that if he concentrated he could actually sense this energy emanating from a person's body. Not only did this give him a decent idea of how strong his opponent was, it also enabled him to fight them better. Rather than look for attacks coming at him, he would _feel_ them, enabling him to react quicker. He was also able to suppress his own energy so as to not give away his own strength. Through practice all this had become fairly easy for him to do.

He walked past a group of rather large guys, glancing at them as he passed by. They were talking about weight lifting, comparing what they could bench and curl, along with the size of their biceps and pecs. He chuckled as he moved on, shaking his head. Not one of them possessed any sort of impressive energy.

_Idiots._ _They think building their muscles makes them stronger._ Enzan knew better. No matter how big your muscles were, you're still limited by the human body, as far as how strong and fast you can become. Martial artists, however, didn't focus on their physical strength. By strengthening their bodies through rigorous training, they are able to generate and harness more life energy. By focusing that energy into their bodies, they are able to surpass those human limits of speed and strength. Some could even generate enough energy to where they were able to release it in a destructive force. Enzan was aware of all this, and so every time he saw fighters who relied on their physical strength, he had to smile.

_Oh well, _he thought, _makes this that much easier for me._ He wandered around some more, and although he sensed a few people with a good amount of Ki, he found nothing comparable to his own. _Don't tell me I'm going to breeze through this thing. I'm here to test myself, not waste my time. If these are the best fighters the world has to offer, I should leave now._

After a short while, he found himself at the area where the preliminary matches would be held. There were 10 rings side by side, in two rows of 5, along with a judge's booth at each ringside. Casually looking through the crowd here, Enzan still sensed nothing of interest. He was about to continue on, when a young woman caught his eye. She stood about 5' 6", with long white hair, and a very curvaceous body, wearing tight clothing which emphasized this. Despite her beauty, it wasn't her looks that caught his attention, but rather her Ki. It wasn't the amount of energy she possessed either, but the type of Ki he was sensing. It was strange, different than anything he had ever sensed before. Her energy felt _off_, as though she was not quite human. This troubled him, as he had no idea what that could mean. Adding to his surprise, he noticed the man he had argued with earlier, Madrox, approaching the girl. He fixed his eyes on Madrox, focusing on his energy.

_Why didn't I notice this before? _Madrox was emanating the same type of energy he felt from the girl, although a bit more powerful. Enzan cursed himself. _I was too busy being arrogant to pay attention, that's why. _He noticed following a few steps behind Madrox was another man, dressed in a grey gi. He stopped abruptly, as Madrox continued on. Enzan focused on this other guy, and again got the same thing. _Damnit, what's going on here? _This last guy seemed even stronger than the other two. Enzan was debating what to do, when he noticed the guy had turned his head toward him.

_Is he...looking at me? _Enzan couldn't be sure, but it looked like the guy was staring straight at him. _Can he sense Ki as well..?_ This guy was so fixated on him that he didn't notice one of the big guys came walking toward him. The big guy apparently wasn't paying attention either, and ran right into him. Oddly enough, instead of the smaller guy moving, the big one took a step back.

"Hey, what the hell is wrong with you eh!?" Enzan heard the big guy say. "You walked right into me!" The guy turned his head, looking up at the big guy. "Why don't you watch where you're going?" The smaller guy stood there, not saying anything. "Listen punk, you damn well better apologize for bumping into me, or we're gonna have a problem here." Enzan smiled.

_This should be interesting,_ he thought, folding his arms. The big guy grabbed the smaller one by the shoulder. The small one moved quickly, and nailed him hard in the stomach. _Ah, he's fast too. _Enzan thought, watching closely. The other guys jumped in, but were easily taken care of with a few quick moves. Enzan noted all the guy's moves were very quick, but deliberate. He was well trained and disciplined. Enzan also noticed his Ki didn't rise at all while he fought, which meant he was doing all this with little effort. After they were all taken care of, Enzan saw Madrox coming up to the guy. Madrox said something, and then turned to walk off. The guy glanced over at Enzan once more, than turned and followed. They went back to where the girl was standing, exchanged a few words, and then the three of them walked off together. Enzan smirked.

_Maybe there's reason to stay around here after all._


	2. Chapter 2

Dragonball: Rebirth

Chapter 2: Preliminaries

"All registered participants for the Tenkaichi Budokai tour, please report to the preliminary match area. The preliminaries will be starting in 30 minutes." The loud speakers all around the grounds announced this message, and fighters started gathering where the preliminaries would be held. Enzan opened his eyes, and then looked up. He pushed off the lamp post he had been leaning against, and unfolded his arms. He reached down, grabbed his satchel, and made his way to the preliminary area. For the past hour he had been standing there, thinking about the three people from before. Something was definitely up with them, and while it didn't concern him as far as fighting them, he was bothered by what the three of them might be doing here.

_I have ulterior motives of my own after all._ he thought with a smile. Still, he did not want them interfering with his plans, but if they did, he wouldn't hesitate to take care of them. In the meantime he'd simply go along with the tournament. Qualifying for the final 32 should be easy enough, considering the competition he'd seen. Then he wondered if he might have to face one of the trio. Although it would be interesting, he'd rather see them make it to the finals. It would give him a better chance to observe them, and try to figure out what was going on with their _Ki._

He arrived at the preliminary area, which was packed. Every one who had registered for the tournament was here; easily over 1000 people. To thin this out a bit, the first round of the tournament would consist of a series of battle royales. 5 battles would be fought on each of the 10 rings, with 5 to 10 people in each match. They would battle it out until there was only one left standing. They would then be declared winner and move on to the next round. After this, the remaining fighters would be divided into 8 brackets. The brackets would be fought out like a normal tournament, with the top 4 of each bracket advancing to the actual Tournament.

Enzan made his way through the crowd, heading for the big billboard with the match-ups on it. He saw that he was going to be in the first battle on ring 10, so he made his way over there. As he got to the ringside, he took a look around at the others gathered here. There were 9 other people standing around waiting for the match to begin. Some were busy talking, while others were doing the same as him. Due to the amount of people in the area, he couldn't really get a fix on anyone's energy. He'd have to be cautious. He didn't see anybody who looked too tough, but he didn't want to lose his first match due to overconfidence. While he was thinking, one of the fighters walked up to him.

"Hey buddy, what's going on?" Enzan looked over to see a tall, muscular man looking down at hi, smiling. "I've got a proposition for you." the man said, folding his arms.

"Not interested." Enzan said, turning away. The guy frowned.

"You didn't even hear it yet, how can you say no? Listen, my name's Makalak. Looking around here, you're probably the only other guy who's a serious fighter besides me. You come in here looking all serious with that cloak and stone cold killer face, I know you're for real. So how's about me and you team up when this thing starts, knock all the weaklings out, then we can get down to business?" he asked as he smiled, motioning at the other participants. Enzan narrowed his eyes.

"Get out of my face." Makalak's smile turned to a frown.

"Alright kid, if that's the way you feel about it. I guess you're like the rest, and I'll have to take you down." Makalak chuckled, and then walked away. A few moments later, the loudspeakers came on as someone tapped a microphone.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, let's get these qualifying matches underway. All participants please enter your designated rings at this time. Good luck to all of you."

Enzan removed his cloak, tossing it down beside his satchel. He adjusted his now revealed gi, tightening his belt. His gi top was a dark blue, and he wore a red undershirt beneath is, along with two red wristbands. His gi pants were also dark blue, and two black boots covered his feet. He tilted his head side to side cracking his neck, and then stepped up into the ring. The others around the ring did the same. When everyone was in, the referee stepped out into the middle.

"Alright listen up. There is only one rule you have to follow: no killing your opponent. Other than that, if you're knocked out of the ring or stay down for a 10 count, you're out. Try to keep it clean." The combatants each assumed a fighting position, Enzan dropping into his own defensive stance. He saw Makalak across the ring smirking at him.

"Humph." He raised his hand to Makalak, motioning for him to come.

"Fight!" the referee shouted. Makalak immediately started running toward him full speed. Before he could reach Enzan however, someone's foot shot out, catching him across the face. He stumbled to the side, toward the edge of the ring. He hovered over the edge for a moment before losing his balance and falling out. The referee ran to the edge, pointing at him.

"Contestant, out!" he said, blowing his whistle. Enzan blinked, then shook his head. _Idiot_.

--

Jamie stepped down out of the ring, brushing himself off. He rubbed his jaw, which was throbbing. His match had been won fairly easily, but three of the guys had jumped him at once, and one of them managed to catch him good across the face. A small price to pay for advancing to the next round though. Tetsuo was standing at the ringside waiting for him. Jamie nodded to him, and then the two of them walked toward where Sierra's match was taking place. Jamie assumed Tetsuo had won his match quickly, as they had both started at the same time yet Tetsuo had been standing there waiting for him.

"No troubled eh?" Jamie asked, though he knew the answer. Tetsuo shook his head, smirking a little. _Wise guy_ thought Jamie, though he had to smile. Although Tetsuo was the youngest of them, he seemed to have the keenest fighting sense. All Jamie had ever seen him do in his free time was train, and it showed. He was even a little worried about having to face him in the tournament. _Oh well, I'll cross that bridge when and if I get to it._

They arrived at the ring where Sierra was having her match. It was down to her and 2 other guys. They were both facing her, ready to fight. Apparently she they had decided she was more dangerous than either of them were to each other. She stood there smiling at them, arms folded.

"Come on boys..." she teased, waving them on. "What's wrong, afraid?" The two glanced at each other, then charged her. She crouched slightly, and then as they neared she leapt over them, flipping in mid air. While above them, she grabbed hold of both their heads and slammed them together. The two collided then staggered backward, dazed. As Sierra landed, she jumped toward one of them, knee extended. She caught him in the jaw, his head snapping back. He fell, unconscious. The other guy, still trying to recover, weakly swung at her with a punch. She easily dodged, then stepped in close and hooked him across the face with her elbow. He dropped, unmoving. The referee did a 10-count, and then announced Sierra the winner. She grinned as she stepped down from the ring, walking toward Jamie and Tetsuo.

"Well that was easy." she said, folding her arms.

"Of course it was, they're regular people. What do you expect?" She chuckled lightly, looking at Jamie's face as he spoke.

"Looks like it wasn't so easy for you, Jamie."

"Lucky shot is all." he growled, walking on. "Anyway, I've still seen neither Clye, Kugo, nor any of their…_people_. They're nowhere to be found, but I was sure they were going to be here." Sierra patted his shoulder.

"No worried, we'll find 'em. They're definitely around here somewhere. I can feel it."

--

He watched as they walked off, a smile spreading across his face. "They're here…"

"You want I should take care of it now?" a large shadow next to him asked.

"No. Not yet. Have you located other potentials?"

"A few. We've set it up so none of them will fight each other before the finals. _He's_ here as well."

"Interesting. We'll have to proceed carefully. For now, just go and prepare for your match.

"Right." The hulking form stomped off. The other remained there, watching. He stepped toward the light a little, revealing part of his face. He brushed his blue hair aside, tracing the outline of a scar which ran the length of the right side of his face.

"Soon Jamie. Soon..."

--

"Winner, contestant Enzan!" Enzan stepped down out of the ring, walking toward a nearby wall. He leaned against it, awaiting his next match. He only had one left to go to qualify, and he hoped it 

wouldn't be the same as the previous three. He hadn't even broken a sweat yet. In fact, none of his matched had lasted even a minute. He looked over at another ring to watch the current match. The two men were exchanging punched and kicks, looking pretty evenly matched. Nothing too interesting, so he continued looking around, checking out the other rings.

One of the matches caught his eye. A tall, thing man in a trench coat was easily evading his opponent's attacks. He wasn't even in any sort of a fighting stance. He simply stood there and ducked, dodged, and parried all of the blows. His opponent was getting frustrated, and drew back, taking a breather. Then he charged the man, going for an all out assault. The man simply smiled, holding his arms out to his sides. Right as the attack was about to land, he shifted his stance, thrusting both of his palms forward. The charging man flew backward, right out of the ring. It was fast, and hard to see, but Enzan noticed there was never any contact made.

"Winner, contestant Clye! He qualifies for the Budokai tour!" The man smiled again, exiting the ring. He pulled his long blue hair back, tying it into a pony-tail. This revealed a gruesome scar on his face. He looked around, locking eyes with Enzan for a moment. Then he turned and walked off.

_He used Ki to win that match. A bit excessive, unless he was just showing off. _Enzan watched him go, trying to get a fix on his energy. Again, due to so many people gathered around, he was unable to do so. He frowned, annoyed. Then he shrugged. He'd be facing the guy eventually after all, so no need to worry about it now.

Another 15 minutes passed, and then it was finally time for his qualifying match. He stepped up into the ring, checking his opponent out. The man opposite him was small, wearing an orange-red gi. He appeared to be Asian, and he had his long black hair braided back behind him. He bowed to Enzan then took a defensive stance. Enzan nodded, doing the same.

"Fight!"

The man was on top of him in a second, surprising Enzan with his speed. He barely managed to block the roundhouse kick meant for his head. The man pulled back and spun the other way, dropping low and hooking his other leg into Enzan's, dumping him on the ground. Enzan rolled to his side, narrowly dodging the follow up punch. Enzan jumped to his feet, gritting his teeth. He hadn't expected this much of a challenge from anyone, and it had caught him off guard. He gathered himself, then leapt forward to attack. He threw a punch for his opponent's head, which was ducked. Enzan was expecting this, and brought his knee up into the man's mouth, catching him hard with the added momentum of his duck. He stumbled backward, and Enzan stayed on top of hi, not giving him a chance to recover. He followed up with a hard punch to the abdomen, doubling the man over. He went to finish it with a left hook, but the man rolled backward, dodging it. He used his momentum to come out of the roll on his feet, shifting to a defensive stance. Enzan still sensed a good amount of energy left in the guy, and was fairly impressed. This was the most he had sensed from anyone so far. Of course it was still nothing compared to his own, but he had to give the guy credit.

The two of them charged each other, exchanging punches and kicks. After a few moments, Enzan flipped backward, hand-springing away. The man charged after him, ready to follow up attack. Enzan landed in a low crouch near the edge of the ring, then launched himself forward to meet the attack. He swung his leg around and caught the man hard on the side of his neck. The man staggered for a moment, which was all Enzan needed to get behind him. He drove his palm hard into the man's lower back, sending him over the edge and out of the ring.

"Winner, contestant Enzan! He qualifies for the Budokai Tour!" Enzan smirked, stepping down out of the ring, standing above his fallen opponent.

"Not bad, but you need to do a lot more work if you wanna play with the big boys." He smiled, and then walked off.

--

Jamie looked over the board, checking to see who he'd be fighting in the tournament's first round. He wasn't fighting Tetsuo or Sierra right off the bat, and he was thankful for that. He was fighting in the first match though, against somebody named Loraz. He hadn't seen this guy yet, and didn't really care either way. What he did care about was that he saw Clye and Kugo on the board, although on the other side of the bracket. He wouldn't be surprised if they had a hand in setting this matches up. He checked to see who Tetsuo and Sierra were paired up with. Tetsuo was fighting someone called Zander in the fourth match, while Sierra was up against whoever Enzan was in the ninth match. Clye and Kugo also fought some people he'd never heard of, but he was sure they'd make it to the end. Then he'd have his chance to get to them. The tournament started early tomorrow, so he figured he'd go and meditate a bit tonight, before the big day. He smiled, anticipating, and went to go meet up with Sierra.


	3. Chapter 3

Dragonball: Rebirth

Chapter 3: Revelations

Midnight. Enzan glanced at the chronometer on the wall, then back at the TV in front of him. He sighed, then slowly closed his eyes. He had been sitting on the couch for the past hour or so, still dressed in his gi after finishing up a late night training session. He had been trying to go to sleep, but something was bothering him. He had felt on edge and had thought training a little would clean his head like it usually did, but it hadn't. Was he worried about the three people with the odd energy? Or was it something else?

Maybe I'm just anxious about tomorrow, he thought, but then immediately pushed that aside. He knew he was not worried about tomorrow. He had never been worried about any match he'd ever been in. It was something else, he was sure. But what?

A gentle breeze blew across his face at that moment, his hair wafting slightly in the cool air. His eyes narrowed, and he tensed up. He hadn't left the window open. He sprang off the couch just as a sword slashed the spot he had been sitting. He landed on the bed, and then immediately flipped off backward as another slash barely missed him.

This time Enzan landed behind his would be assassin and shot out a kick to his lower back, but felt no contact. He looked around the room quickly, but saw nobody. He did, however, sense several presences.

"Not nice trying to take me out in my sleep now, is it?" He was answered by a sharp pain in his side as something hit him hard, and incredibly fast. Not being prepared for such he force, he flew into and partially through one of the walls. More surprised than actually hurt, he pulled himself out of the wall, standing face to face with his attacker. He could barely make out the features of the man's face with the little bit of moonlight shining through the window. But unless he was mistaken, it appeared to be the same man in the trench coat he had seen yesterday at the tournament. "What the hell do you want?" he asked, surveying the room for the other presences he still felt. The man smiled, brushing his hair out of his eyes. Without answering, he raised his sword, sliding into a defensive stance. Enzan smirked. "Ah, just the answer I like." Enzan said, dropping into his own fighting stance. Now he'd be able to get a read on this guy's Ki. There were no distractions now, unlike yesterday.

Enzan spun suddenly, catching a leg that came swinging at his head from behind. Not gonna catch me off guard twice. The man in the trench coat raised his brow slightly, then nodded his head. Two shadows moved on either side of Enzan. He released the leg he was holding, just as another attack came in at his left side. He turned to block the high attack with his arm, simultaneously throwing his foot out behind him, catching the attacker on his other side in the stomach. A third blow came at his head, nailing him in the jaw. He stumbled slightly, giving the shadow man he'd first blocked time to move forward and down, driving a fist into his abdomen. _These guys are pretty good, _Enzan though, exhaling sharply. That last shot had actually hurt.

Fighting in this small room was leaving him at a disadvantage. He needed more room to operate, use his agility to his advantage. He jumped forward, hitting the shadow man in front of him in the chin with his knee, then leapt toward the window. He stopped short when he realized the trench coat clad man was sitting on the window sill, running his finger along the blade of his sword.

"Going somewhere?" he asked, looking up at Enzan. Enzan growled, then leapt at him. Before he could reach him however, the man made a quick motion with his hand, and Enzan suddenly felt a great pressure in his chest. Next thing he knew, he was flying backward through the air. He crashed through the door to the room, rolling out into the hallway. He gathered himself quickly to get up, but the three shadow men were on him in an instant, pummeling him with rapid attacks. A minute later, he lay on the ground unconscious and bloody. The trench coat man walked emerged through the shattered door, looking down at Enzan.

"Not quite what I was expecting…." he said, frowning. "Bring him, quickly." With that, he turned and walked down the hallway.

--

"What the hell is all that noise?" Jamie asked, rolling out of bed. He looked over to see Tetsuo up and mostly dressed, standing by the door. He glanced over at Jamie and shrugged. Jamie grabbed his clothes, dressing quickly, and then walked to the door. "Well it sounded like a damn battle to me."

They walked out into the hallway together, looking around. Other people were emerging from their rooms, apparently also having heard the commotion. They were on the top floor of the Star Hotel, along with the rest of the fighters who had reached the final tournament. Shuisha Co. had put all of them up in the hotel, free of charge. Although they each had their own room, Jamie and Tetsuo had decided to stay together in case something had happened in the middle of the night. It seemed it turned out to be a good idea.

Jamie looked down one side of the hallway and saw what looked like splintered wood all over the floor, some pieces stained with blood. He dashed over to investigate, taking a look around. He peered through what remained of the door. It looked like there had been a tussle inside the room. One of the walls was smashed in, and the bed looked like it had been slashed. "The hell….?"

Tetsuo was standing next to him, but looking further down the hallway, frowning. Jamie glanced down the hall, and seeing nothing, turned back to Tetsuo.

"What is it?"

Tetsuo narrowed his eyes, then turned back to face Jamie as well. "Clye."

--

_Knock Knock_

Tetsuo opened the door to reveal Sierra standing there, arms folded. She had an annoyed look on her face. He smiled, then stepped aside to let her in.

"Where's Jamie?" she asked, looking around the room.

"Eating."

She frowned, then turned back to him. "So why didn't you guys come get me last night when all that commotion happened?"

Tetsuo shrugged. "No need." Sierra sighed. Normally she would've taken offense to a comment like that, but Tetsuo was so blunt about everything, so that probably was the case. They probably hadn't needed her for anything. Still, if it had to do with Clye, she felt she had the right to be involved. She shook her head, then headed back out the door.

"Come on, let's go find Jamie."

Jamie was finishing up the last of his breakfast when he looked up to see Sierra and Tetsuo approaching. He waved them over, motioning to the seats across from him. He pushed his plate aside, smiling as they sat down. "Morning."

Tetsuo nodded, and Sierra returned his smile. Then she clasped her hands in front of her, leaning back. "Well?" she asked.

"Well what?" he said, grinning.

"Don't 'well what' me. What did you find out?"

Jamie smirked. The only reason he had actually come down for breakfast so early this morning was to find out if anyone knew anything about last night. "Alright. At about midnight last night someone was attacked, and then taken. Kidnapped."

Sierra frowned. "Go on. Who was it?"

Jamie leaned closer to her so nobody would overhear their conversation. "Well, apparently it's the guy you're supposed to be fighting today. Enzan Kiru."

Sierra's brow rose slightly. "And Clye was involved in this?"

"That's what he thinks." Jamie answered, motioning toward Tetsuo. "Kid says he sensed him. He's usually on the ball with that stuff, so I'd say it's a safe bet."

"You think he took him to interfere with us in some way?"

Jamie stroked his chin, thinking for a moment. "I'd say so. Unless Clye has other business with this guy we don't know about, which isn't likely. I've never heard of him before. It's got to be something to do with us. "Jamie wondered if this Enzan guy would even be showing up now, let alone fighting Sierra. "At any rate, be on your guard today." Sierra nodded, and then stood.

"Well, since we're here I'm going to get something to eat. Hungry Tetsuo?" He nodded, and then stood as well. They both walked over to the buffet line to grab some food.

_I suppose I should get ready for my match today. Not much else I can do,_ Jamie thought. He finished his food and then headed back to his room.

--

Enzan opened his eyes slowly, trying to focus. He realized he was slumped forward, facing the ground. He leaned back, finding himself seated in a chair. He shook his head a little to clear the grogginess, and then looked at his surroundings. He was in a fairly large room which appeared to be some kind of laboratory. There were various test tubes, beakers and other glassware set up on the shelves along the, some of which held liquids of varying colors. Off to one side sat a huge machine of some sort, with a large cylindrical tube in the middle. It was easily large enough to fit a full grown man, and a large one at that.

His vision was blurred still, and he felt wetness in his mouth. He licked his lips, tasting the iron flavor of blood. He blinked a few times, realizing something was moving in front of him.

The voice sounded like it was coming at him from underwater, but he managed to make out the words. "Finally awake eh? Did you have a nice nap now, Mr. Kiru?" Staring ahead until his eyes adjusted, Enzan made out the features of someone he was beginning to greatly dislike. The blue hair, scarred face and trench coat told him it was his assailant. He began to answer, but the man raised his hand to stop him. "Save your strength." he said, standing. He turned and began to walk off. "You're going to need it."

Enzan growled. He clenched his fists tightly, and then realized he wasn't bound to the chair he was in. He rose to his feet, but stumbled and nearly fell. He caught himself on a countertop, and then stood still for a moment to catch his balance. Once the room stopped spinning, he started off in the direction the man had gone. He made his way to a door, and then opened it slightly, peering through. The door opened to a long hallway, ending with another door. The man was just passing through the far door. It seemed a little odd to Enzan that someone would go through the trouble of attacking and kidnapping him, and then let him walk around freely. _Probably a trap, _he thought, _so I'll spring it._

He made his way to the far door, slowly opening it. He found himself in a room larger than the first, with much more equipment. He saw the man standing in front of a terminal, punching something in on the keyboard. He turned his head as Enzan approached, and then smiled.

"I'm surprised you're up and about so quickly. The sedative I gave you should have kept you down for at least a few more hours.

_Drugged? Ah. That explains the grogginess. _"Who the hell are you?" Enzan asked, deciding to play for some time to the let the sedative wear off completely, before making his move.

"My name is Clye. Clye Kadesh. "

"Clye…" Enzan repeated, searching his memory. The named seemed to ring a bell somewhere in his head, but he couldn't quite place it. "Ok, _Clye_. Why have you brought me here?"

"I know who you are, and I know why you're at the tournament. I know you work for the Shuisha Corporation." Clye said, turning from his terminal and walking toward Enzan. "The question is, do you?"

Enzan narrowed his eyes. "Do you think me a fool? That I don't know what I'm doing or why? And why would I tell you any such thing?"

Clye chuckled. "I expected you'd say as much. You're naïve, but people being manipulated usually are." Enzan started forward, but Clye raised his hand. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Attack me now and you won't get the antidote to the poison I also injected you with along with the sedative. It's coursing through your body as we speak, and it most definitely fatal." Enzan's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed again, but he did stop advancing on Clye. "Good. Now if you'll let me continue…" He walked back to the monitor he was at before, typing on the keyboard once more. "What do you know of the history of this world?"

"What do you mean?" Enzan asked, seething with anger. He had been kidnapped, drugged, poisoned, and now he was going to get a history lesson?

"I mean, do you understand how this world was shaped and why things are the way they are now?"

"Does it matter?"

"Several centuries ago," Clye began, punching something in on the keyboard, "this world was home to beings of incredible power. Unfathomable power I should say. They had power enough to wipe away an entire planet with a wave of their hand."

_"Interesting."_ Enzan said sarcastically, folding his arms.

"Doubt me if you will, but it _is_ the truth. One of those beings actually helped to bring about my creation."

_Creation…? What the hell does he mean by that? _Enzan looked him over, slowly. His head had cleared up mostly now, and he took in every feature of Clye. Besides the blue hair he looked totally human. Something was off about him though, Enzan noted, but couldn't quite place it.

"Yes I know I look quite normal." Clye said, aware of the scrutiny. "But I assure you I am no human. I am a Bio Engineered life form." As Clye spoke, Enzan was trying to sense his energy. His eyes widened in surprise as he realized Clye was giving off the same kind of energy as Madrox and his companions. Clye, unaware of what Enzan had just discovered, apparently thought he was surprised at what he had just been told. "Yes, I know it's probably hard for you to believe, but it is true. I was created from a combination of the DNA of those super beings, born and grown in a test tube."

Enzan pushed his surprise aside and frowned. "Well, you don't seem to be able to destroy a planet with a wave of _your_ hand. So what were you, a reject? A failure?" Clye's eye twitched slightly, but he smiled.

"I prefer to think of myself as incomplete. Our creator saw fit to put restraints on our power, for fear we may become more powerful than him." On the screen flashed an image of a humanoid figure. Humanoid, but green skinned, with pointy ears, fangs and antennae. "This here is Redrum Daimou, the one whose work led to my creation. He had gathered various data and DNA of many of the super warriors of his era." A few more images flashed past, showing pictures of various other people before stopping on one in particular. "This one was called Cell. He himself was a bio-engineered life form, or Bio Android if you will, much like myself." The image displayed showed a tall humanoid figure with green, chitin-like skin. He had two points extending upward from his brow, and two wings on his back. "My siblings and I were modeled after him, although not with the same exact formula, obviously."

_Siblings? Does he mean Madrox and the others?_ "What has any of this have to do with me?" Enzan asked, shifting in his seat. His head had cleared enough now, and he'd had enough of his host's hospitality. It was time to leave. Clye smiled, turning to him.

"Everything my friend, _everything. _You are the key to unlocking my full potential." Enzan blinked.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You have within you a pure, untainted strain of DNA of one of those warriors, probably the most powerful of them all! I will have it, and with it my powers with come to full realization!" A wild look came to Clye's eyes, and he turned back to the computers, typing on the terminal.

_He's insane. I need to find the antidote to the poison and get the hell out of here, _Enzan thought, looking around the room. A low humming could be heard, which steadily began to grow louder. The ceiling above them opened, as a large machine slowly descended to the ground. It looked very much like the machine Enzan had seen in the other room; a large glass tube with a chair in it.

"If you'd be so kind as to step into the machine." Clye said, turning back to Enzan.

"No." Enzan replied, gathering his energy. Clye grinned.

"Don't be a fool. If you don't cooperate, you'll not get the antidote, and you'll be dead within a few hours." Enzan rose, taking a few steps back.

"Sorry, but I've got a problem with needles." He focused, channeling all of his energy into his palms. Clye stood as well, his eyes meeting Enzan's.

"Well, I had hoped to do this the easy way, but I've no problem extracting what I need from your corpse." He began to advance. Enzan thrust out his left hand, aiming directly at Clye. A beam of blue light erupted from his palm, hitting Clye in the chest and driving him backward. He slammed into the machine, crashing through the glass casing. He landed in the seat, his chest smoking. "I…I'll kill you for this you son of a bitch!" Enzan leveled his other hand, aiming again at Clye. "You won't be able to kill me with such insufficient power, boy!"

"Is that so?" Enzan raised his palm higher, taking aim at the ceiling above the machine. Clye's eyes widened, and he gathered himself to leap.

"No!!"

"Boom." Enzan fired, his energy blast hitting the point where the machine had descended from. There was an explosion, and chunks of ceiling began raining down. Clye stopped in mid stride, turning his gaze upward.

"You fool! You've hit the power supp-". Another explosion rocked the room, this one much larger than the first. Enzan was lifted off his feet and flung backward from the force. A huge section of ceiling 

came crashing down, landing on top of the machine, and Clye. Dust billowed out, covering the entire room. Enzan slowly rose to his feet, coughing and dusting himself off.

"Who's the fool now?" An alarm sounded suddenly, and a red flashing light filled the room. A computerized voice sounded on the loud speaker.

"Warning. Warning. Power reactor feedback detected. Reactor overloaded. Explosion is imminent."

"Shit. Maybe I overdid it just a little." Enzan quickly rummaged around the room, tossing chunks of debris around, searching for the antidote. "Damn, where is it?!" After moving a particularly large fragment of ceiling he stopped suddenly, looking at the ground. Resting there was a small, orange, semi-transparent sphere. A small red star could be seen in the center of it. Enzan crouched, picking up the strange object. As he did so, the sphere seemed to glow, and he felt slight warmth coming from it.

"What could this be…?"

The room began violently shaking suddenly. "Time to go!" He put the sphere into a pouch on his belt then spun, dashing for the door. He crashed through just as the room behind him caved in on itself completely. He returned to the room he had woken in, looking around frantically for an exit. This room had partially collapsed, and he didn't think it would be long before it had fully. He spotted an elevator off to the side, and dashed to it. He punched the button on the wall repeatedly, but got no response.

_No power._ He jammed his fingers between the elevator doors and pulled, prying them open. He stepped in, looking for the emergency hatch on the ceiling. After finding it he quickly unlatched it, opening his way to the elevator shaft. He leapt up, grabbing hold of the elevator cable, and began climbing as quickly as he could. He heard a deep rumbling below him, and felt the shaft shaking. As he reached the top he heard an explosion, and below him flames started streaming up the shaft. He couldn't open the doors while hanging on the cable, so he reared back, kicked off the wall behind him, and drove his feet into the doors. He flew out of the shaft as flames licked at him, billowing out into the room. He rolled to his feet, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Phew. That was a little too close for my taste." He surveyed his new surroundings. The sun shone through dirt smeared windows, providing just enough light so that he could see. He was in what appeared to be an abandoned office building. There were rows of dust covered desks with non-functional terminals. On the far wall he noticed some kind of insignia, but it was too dirty to make out. He walked over to it, cleaning it off with his hand. It was a large 'C', with another, smaller 'C' inside it.

_Capsule Corporation?_ He pondered this for a moment. _Why would that guy have a laboratory under an old abandoned Capsule Corp. office? _ Clye's other words sounded in Enzan's head. _I know he was insane, but why did he seem to think I had some kind of super DNA inside me?_ He reached into his pouch, retrieving the orange sphere. The glow had subsided, but he almost thought he could feel a strange power emanating from it, something mystic, and ancient. He stared at it, feeling as though for some reason this was most important of all.

Pain filled his entire body suddenly, and he dropped to his knees. His insides felt like they were on fire. After a few moments the pain subsided, dying down to a dull throbbing in his abdomen. Sweat beaded up on his forehead, and he slowly rose.

_Damn. Forgot about the poison. I wonder if that bastard even had an antidote. _He started slowly toward the exit. _My match today may be a bit harder than I thought._


	4. Chapter 4

Dragonball: Rebirth

Chapter 4: Remember When….

The crowd began gathering around the ring, anticipating the start of the finals. In a matter of a half hour, the greatest tournament off all time was about to get underway. Jamie strode around the waiting room waiting for Tetsuo and Sierra's arrival. He had come up here early to see if he could find Clye or Kugo before the matches began, with no success. So far only he and three others had arrived. His opponent, Loraz, a short and stocky man, although fairly well built, seemed to be sizing him up from across the room. The two others, Apule and Kenshin, stood off in a corner conversing.

Every time Jamie looked over in Loraz's direction, he quickly averted his gaze. Jamie growled. _This is going to be a joke, _he thought. _The guy's afraid of me._ _Pathetic._ He looked up as Tetsuo and Sierra entered the room. They spotted him and made their way over.

"Find anything out?" Sierra asked doubtfully, looking around. Jamie shook his head.

"No sign of them, but I'm sure they'll be here soon." As if on cue, at that moment the hulking form of Kugo entered the room. He was a big as ever, standing over eight feet tall and easily upwards of around 400 pounds, and even more beast-like than Jamie remembered, his fingernails growing into claws and extra long canines prominent in his mouth.

The three tensed as he glanced over at them, baring his fangs in a smile. Surprisingly, Clye was not with him.

_Where is Clye? _Jamie clenched his fists tightly, blood dripping from his hands as his nails dug into his palms. _I swear he's going to pay for everything he's done._

He opened his eyes slowly, not knowing where he was. His body was wet, and a bright light shone down on him from above, blinding him. He went to speak but coughed, liquid sputtering from his mouth.

"Ah, he's awake." Two shadows moved above him.

"Vital signs?" A voice asked.

"He's stable." Another responded.

His vision began to clear, and the shadows became two men. One of the men peered at him through thick glasses. He wore a lab coat and seemed to be looking over some kind of chart. The other also wore a lab coat, and looked over at the first man.

_Who….where_...? He thought, and tried to sit up.

"Whoa, easy there fella. Not so fast." He was pushed down by the men, forced to lay there.

"Let….me…..go!" He pushed back, and the men went flying backward, crashing into opposite walls. He sat up slowly, his head spinning. "Whe…where am I?" He slid off the table he was laying on and onto his feet. Soldiers burst into the room, training their assault rifles on him.

"Don't move!"

"Stand down! You'll only frighten him." The soldiers parted and allowed a man in a suit to pass through. "It's ok. Don't be afraid." The man walked up to him, holding his hands up. "I mean you no harm, Jamie."

_Jamie? Is that who I am?_ He studied the man warily. "Who are you?" The man smiled at him, and offered his hand.

"I'm your father, Kain."

Jamie looked down approvingly at his new attire. His white kimono top was tucked into his black hakama, and he wore black tabi boots. His black hair was pulled back tight into a top-knot.

"Looking sharp, Jamie." Kain said, looking him up and down. "Come, it's time to meet your siblings." He led Jamie into a small room where four other people were waiting. They all turned toward Kain and Jamie as they entered the room.

"This is your brother, Jamie." Jamie bowed to them.

"Hi."

"This is Tetsuo." Kain said, introducing a young man of average height and build, with long, black unruly hair. A grey shirt hung loosely on his body, and he wore loose fitting black pants. Black boots covered his feet.

"Hello." Tetsuo said, bowing politely. Kain turned next to a young woman.

"This here is Sierra."

"Hiya!" she said, winking at him. She was petite, but did not seem weak. Her green eyes quickly looked Jamie up and down, seeming to size him up.

Next was a huge, hulking man. His hair was very short, nearly shaved. His chest was bare, and he wore orange gi pants, stretched out from his bulk. He was simply barefoot, wearing neither socks nor shoes.

"This is Kugo." Kugo grinned, and then nodded to Jamie.

"Yo." Jamie nodded to him.

They last person they came to was a tall, blue haired man. He seemed to be very relaxed. He wore a long, brown trench coat and black pants, and his blue hair was tied back in a pony tail.

"And this is Clye. He's the oldest of you all." Clye's dark blue eyes met Jamie's, and he extended his hand. Jamie took it, shaking firmly.

"A pleasure." Clye said, smiling.

*Clang* *Clang* *Clang*

Jamie danced around Clye as their swords connected. He was determined to get the better of him this time around. He thrust forward with his blade, going for Clye's torso. Clye grinned, parrying the blow and spinning around behind Jamie, hitting the back of his head with an open palm.

"C'mon Jamie, you've got to move faster than that!" He laughed, raising his sword again. Jamie spun to face him again, bringing his own sword up. "Calm yourself Jamie. You have to keep your mind clear. I'm reading your attacks like an open book." Jamie nodded, taking a deep breath. The two of them stood facing each other, moments slipping into minutes.

Clye rushed forward suddenly, swinging his sword for Jamie's head. Jamie brought his own blade up to block, and they collided in a flash of sparks, pushing against one another. Clye stepped back with his right foot and pivoted, drawing Jamie forward and off balance. He spun his sword at the same time, relieving Jamie of his weapon, then snapped his blade up to Jamie's throat.

"Match." Clye said, smirking. He lowered his sword. Jamie sighed, reaching down to retrieve his weapon.

"You beat me again." He said, sheathing his sword. Clye patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't sweat it. You're improving at a remarkable rate. You'll soon be my equal with a sword." The two of them walked over to where Tetsuo, Sierra and Kugo had been watching. Kugo stood, applauding.

"Great match as always you two." Jamie nodded, then sprawled out on the grass, looking up at the sky. Clye seated himself next to Tetsuo, crossing his legs and assuming a meditative position. The five of them sat on a small outcropping of a mountain that overlooked the countryside, the sun shining brightly in the sky, and a cool summer breeze blowing over the mountain.

"Alright, who's hungry?" Sierra asked, reaching into the large picnic basket sitting next to her. She passed out sandwiches to all them, and they ate heartily, talking and laughing as the afternoon wore on.

As the sun began to sink below the horizon, they gathered up their things and prepared to leave. When they were ready, they headed toward a cave in the side of the mountain.

"So, tomorrow's the big day huh?" Kugo asked as they reached the cave entrance. Silence fell over them as they pondered what tomorrow would hold for each of them. They were to be auctioned off the next day, sold to the highest bidders. Buyers from around the world would be arriving tomorrow to view the "merchandise".

"So it is." Tetsuo finally answered, breaking the silence.

"But don't worry, it'll be fine. I'm sure we'll see plenty of each other." Sierra added cheerily. They all nodded in agreement, then entered the cave.

The inside of the mountain was hollowed out into a huge cavern. Large pieces of equipment lined the cave walls. A massive supercomputer sat in the middle of the cavern, several monitors hooked up to displaying various readouts. Kain was at the base of the computer, talking to one of the scientists. He looked up as they approached, then made his way over to greet them.

"Everything's set up for tomorrow. Make sure you all get plenty of rest tonight, I want you all in perfect shape for the viewing." They each nodded, then headed off to retire. Jamie stayed behind, falling into step next to Kain. "Yes Jamie? Something wrong?" He asked as they walked.

"No. Nothing's wrong. It's just..." Jamie frowned, collecting his thoughts. "I mean, that's it? Tomorrow we get sold, and that's the end?" Kain raised his brow.

"Jamie, that's what you were created for. You're a biological masterpiece. The five of you are decades ahead of anything else in the field. It's time for you to go out into the world and do some good." Jamie nodded.

"Yeah..you're right." He agreed, but still felt uneasy about the whole thing.

"Go get some rest, you'll feel better tomorrow." Jamie bid him good night, and then retired to his room.

The following day Jamie stood up on stage with his four siblings. The room before them was filled to the brim with men in business suits, and he could feel their eyes all over him. Several of the men came up on stage to take a closer look, examining him from head to toe.

_I feel like a damned doll!_ He thought, angered by the scrutiny. It soon was over however, and Jamie and the others were allowed to leave the room. A few minutes passed, and then the door opened. A man walked in, looking around. He set his eyes on Jamie, then approached him. As he reached him, he extended his hand.

"Mr. Madrox right?" Jamie nodded, shaking his hand. "I'm Dan-bei. I work for Lord Usaki. He's just purchased you, so if you'd be so kind as to come with me." With that he turned and exited the room. Jamie glanced over his shoulder at Clye on the others. Clye smirked, and then nodded to him. Jamie returned the nod, and then followed after the man.

"You called for me, Lord Usaki?" Jamie asked, entering the room. Lord Usaki stood with his hands clasped behind his back, peering out the window of his office.

"Yes Jamie," he said without turning, "I need security extra tight tonight. I'm having very important guests for the meeting this evening." Jamie bowed his head.

"Yes, my lord."

"That is all."

Jamie again bowed respectfully, and then retreated out of the room. He made his way around the mansion, informing all the guards of the security detail for the evening. Once he finished with that he stopped by the training room to get a quick session in. Finally, exhausted, he took a hot shower, and then dressed himself for the evening.

Jamie arrived at the front door just as guests began arriving. He noticed many important people arriving, most notably the president of the Capsule Corporation. He also saw the CEO of Zetadyne, which piqued his interest. That was someone you didn't see everyday. He definitely wanted to sit in on this meeting.

"Jamie?" A familiar voice asked. Jamie turned his head to see Tetsuo walking toward him with Sierra right behind him.

"Tetsuo, Sierra! What are you two doing here?" Jamie asked, smiling. He hadn't seen the two of them in years, not since coming to stay at Usaki's Manor.

"Our masters were summoned to this meeting." Tetsuo explained. "I just bumped into Sierra as we were arriving."

"I wonder if Clye and Kugo'll show up as well." Jamie looked around, but didn't see either of the two.

"Wouldn't doubt it. Something big is going on. I've never seen this many hot shots gathered together." Sierra said.

"I was thinking the same thing. Come on; let's get inside so we don't miss anything." Jamie led them into the house, heading for the meeting room. Inside, many men sat around a large, rectangular table, with Lord Usaki seated at the head of it. Jamie took his place at Usaki's side, as Sierra and Tetsuo joined their respective masters. Usaki cleared his throat and everyone fell silent, focusing on him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for joining me here today. I apologize for the abrupt notice, but we have something very important to discuss this evening. I'm sure you're all aware of the recent string of thefts of advanced technologic equipment, most notably from Capsule Corp and Zetadyne labs." There was a murmur of agreement from the group. "Some of you may also be aware of recent…activity in the mountains to the north of Senjo." Jamie raised a brow at this.

_Activity in the mountains? What does he mean by that?_

_"_What you don't know is that the two are connected." This elicited a buzz of surprise from the group. "Our friends in the mountains aren't just gathering members, they were searching for something, and they've found it." Usaki narrowed his eyes. "You all remember the inci-"

"Ridiculous." Someone said, interrupting. All heads turned to the opposite side of the table, where an older man sat. His eyes met with Usaki's.

"Is there a problem, Keito?" The old man Keito rose, supporting himself with a cane in his left hand.

"Yes. I refuse to listen to ridiculous stories about demon nonsense." Usaki's eyes narrowed further.

"It's not nonsense, Keito. A lab was uncovered in those mountains with advanced technology. That and the statue carved into the mountain side. You know what was depicted."

"Even if what you're implying is true, there is nothing pointing to a connection between those cultists and the thefts." Keito growled. "Neither myself nor Zetadyne will take part in these ridiculous rumors."

As they were speaking, Jamie thought he caught a glimpse of movement from the window behind Keito. A red laser light shone through, searching for its target. As the light reached Usaki's chest, Jamie was already in mid-run. He leapt, crashing through the window as the shot was fired, the bullet whizzing by his face.

The shooter's eyes opened wide with surprise, and he tried to move out of the way, but it was too late. Jamie wrapped his arms around the shooter's torso, tackling him with his full body weight. The two of them went tumbling off the balcony and landed with a thud in the snow below. Jamie got his feet under him and jumped back, looking over the attacker.

The assailant was dressed entirely in black, with a black hood covering his face.

"The hell? You think you're some kind of Ninja or something?" Jamie asked. The man responded by quickly reaching into a pouch strapped to his leg, and then whipping his arm towards Jamie. Jamie ducked as several small projectiles flew overhead. Looking behind him, he saw several small kunai knives sticking into the side of the building. "Oh. I guess you are a Ninja huh?" Jamie turned back to the assassin, but he was no longer standing there. "Damn!" Jamie took off running after him.

As he was rounding a corner of the mansion, a large arm extended out and close-lined him. He hit the ground hard, but before he could even react, something grabbed his ankle. He was spun around and then slammed into the side of the building. He felt a rib crack upon impact, and he fell once more to the ground, coughing up blood. He looked up into the face of his new attacker, and couldn't believe his eyes. A large man loomed over him, grinning.

"K…Kugo?"


End file.
